Storytelling takes center stage in Long Road Ahead

Telltale Games continues to defy conventional wisdom. Amid the violent bedlam of a zombie outbreak, the developer finds its strongest voice in the quiet moments between the chaos.

Telltale took a chance this summer by breaking its downloadable survival-horror adventure, The Walking Dead, into five episodes, each released roughly one month after the previous. With the series’ third segment, Long Road Ahead ($5; PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac), the developer once again shows it’s not afraid to let action take a back seat to storytelling.

Long Road Ahead continues the tale of convicted killer Lee Everett, 8-year-old Clementine and a group of strangers struggling to survive. The horrific events of episode two and dwindling supplies have bullheaded Lilly and Kenny figuratively tearing at each other’s throats. Kenny insists the survivors set out in search of a new home, while Lilly grows more unstable and paranoid with each passing day.

Kenny gets his way when bandits set upon the camp, and the group barely escapes alive by piling into an RV. The attack leaves Lilly more convinced than ever that there’s a traitor in their midst.

Strife, betrayal and worse await on the open road. The grudges that have been simmering since episode one finally hit their boiling point. In one shocking moment, Telltale drives home the brutal truth that no character is safe in this living hell, and no one can be trusted.

The characters’ journey toward the Georgia coastline mirrors the players’ experience perfectly. Episode three is a bridge from something safe and familiar to an uncertain and almost assuredly deadly destination. Every tragedy and psychological jolt reminds gamers that there is no going back.

Through it all, the only constant is Lee’s promise to watch over Clementine. The often-awkward interaction of the two, dissimilar in so many ways, retains its soft-hearted charm.

Lee was the child’s protector through the first two episodes, always there to spring to the rescue when needed. But the bitter truth that surfaces in Long Road Ahead is that Lee, like everyone else, could be killed at any moment. Clementine doesn’t need a white knight, she needs Lee to teach her to fend for herself.

The stripping-away of Clementine’s childhood innocence is brutal to endure, but her clumsy alliance with Lee — part father figure, part stranger — is wonderfully genuine.

From a gameplay standpoint, episode three steers even farther from fast-twitch action than the previous chapters. There are occasional frights when zombies burst from the shadows, as well as button-timed fisticuffs with a fellow human. Lee even gets to squeeze off a few rounds of a trusty rifle during the adrenaline-fueled bandit raid. Once the initial cacophony dies down, however, you’ll spend most of your time talking to survivors and solving puzzles.

Moral choices again play a significant role in the adventure. Early on, Lee has a chance to aid a woman in trouble, but doing so will alert zombies to his presence. As with episodes one and two, every action can have drastic unforeseen consequences — some of which don’t manifest until much later. Every deed and each line of dialogue carry immense weight and the potential to irrevocably alter Lee’s journey.

Aside from a couple staggering moments, Long Road Ahead doesn’t maintain the overall emotional punch of earlier chapters. Episode one had gamers scrambling to avoid imminent physical harm, while episode two used slow-building tension to leave players in a constant state of unease.

Episode three, however, is a tale of loss and a journey into uncertainty. We’ve seen the consequences of our choices, we’ve lost friends under devastating circumstances, and we drive unflinchingly toward whatever unseen horrors lie ahead.

The Walking Dead wields the kind of fervid impact most video games never begin to approach. Telltale Games isn’t presenting its story in the usual way. So far, this unique voice has been impossible to ignore.